This is page numbers 4315 - 4334 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was cannabis.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for consensus government to work, each Minister must have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and be a strong enough leader to turn that vision into reality. In a party system, Ministers have party members and political staff to help them develop a vision and associated policy. However, in our system, the Ministers' only support staff is the bureaucracy, which is not designed nor mandated to make the bold political decisions that are sometimes necessary. I am concerned that, in the absence of a bold vision, we will squander the opportunity to capitalize on what has potential to be the defining issue of this Assembly, the renewal of our post-secondary education system.

Now, it's easy for Regular Members to stand up here and say what we would do if we were Ministers, so that is what I am going to do. If I were the Minister of Education, this is some of what I would have said on the first day of this sitting.

Mr. Speaker, the report on the Aurora College foundational review has exposed this government's failure to provide adequate post-secondary education in the NWT. I take full responsibility and apologize to all of the college's students, teachers, and administrators for not providing them with a system in which they could all flourish. That being said, this is an exciting time because the review has given us a golden opportunity to start anew and begin to develop a world-class post-secondary education system. We will need help, so we are currently recruiting an associate deputy minister to assist us.

However, Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, this person will be there to turn our vision into reality, not to tell us what our vision is. We are already aware of all the many educational needs that we must work to address and the many strengths we can build on. We know that we have many high school graduates who must be better prepared for post-secondary, so we will redouble our efforts in the JK-12 system. At the same time, we will mobilize our network of community learning centres to ensure that upgrading and expanded training opportunities are accessible to everyone. We will make use of our territory's natural advantages. We will strive to turn Inuvik into a world-renowned centre for Arctic research and capitalize on its satellite and fibre optic infrastructure. We will work with industry to ensure Northerners have the right training to benefit from resource extraction. We will restore the lustre of the college's renewable resources program so it once again becomes one of the top in Canada. We will turn our trades program into one that attracts students from across Canada, and we will ensure that we support our residents who want to help the territory by becoming teachers, social workers, nurses, and other essential professionals.

Mr. Speaker, we will do all of this more, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the residents of the territory to fully develop our vision. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. A little bit of excitement. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories' liquor operations in Inuvik is contracted to Stanton Distributing, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Inuvialuit Development Corporation. Mr. Speaker, that means that every Inuvialuit within the Inuvialuit settlement region, inside and outside, are registered shareholders.

The Inuvialuit Development Corporation, in collaboration with Stanton's management, decided not to add the sale of licensed marijuana products to its contract between Stanton and the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, due to borders and customs laws within the United States, entry and exit of anyone associated with distribution of licensed marijuana could possibly be denied entry into the United States. Mr. Speaker, Inuvialuit travel back and forth to our relatives in Alaska and the lower 48. We co-manage in every aspect of conservation to enrich the culture and lifestyles of our harvesters and utilize our Indigenous knowledge, building a knowledge system that improves the quality of livelihoods and culture. I understand that there may be a change in US laws, but the IDC Board still has to evaluate all aspects before any sort of reconsideration to the sale of a licensed product as it affects the IDC Board, the IRC Board, and all staff associated with the licensed facility.

Mr. Speaker, this may provide opportunities within the Beaufort Delta region for the possible sales of cannabis, and, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the engagement between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Beaufort Delta region and the possibilities that may provide as well as education into legal cannabis. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Colleagues, please allow me to draw your attention to the presence today at the Clerk's table of Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. As many of you know, Mr. Whitford is a man of many roles; former Commissioner, former Speaker, former Minister, former Member, former Sergeant-at-Arms. He joins us today in his capacity as honorary Clerk. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Whitford to this House this afternoon. It's always a pleasure to have you at the table. Masi.

Colleagues, we have a special guest here with us today this afternoon. I would like to draw your attention to the people in the gallery, please, to recognize the group from Manitoba. The Manitoba legislative interns are here with us this week to learn more about our consensus-style government. With us today are Alexandria Bonney, Emma Cash, Jonathan Daman, Ashley Haller, Claire Johnston, and Kristen McCaig. Thank you for joining us here today. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.

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Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today we had the grade 7 class from William McDonald School in the gallery. I want to thank them and the teacher, Ms. Laura Bromley, for attending. I also have a constituent in the gallery, Ms. Kim McNearney. I want to recognize her and all of the work she has done with regard to responsible use of cannabis. Thank you very much. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

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Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford. Amongst his many roles, he is also a resident of Yellowknife North. Someone who is always in the building but does not make it down here often enough, I would like to recognize my constituent assistant, Mr. Keith MacNeill. Thank you, everyone, and welcome to the House.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors to the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

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Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a Page from the Kam Lake riding, Juliet Stephen. Thank you for all your work here today supporting the Members. I would also like to recognize Mr. Keith MacNeill, a fine member of the Kam Lake constituency. Finally, my constituency assistant, Mr. Michael Burchill, who recently moved to the Northwest Territories, and it's great to have him help in my office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors to the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.

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Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize a constituent of Yellowknife South, Leslie Goit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors to the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

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Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize one of the Pages, Ms. Tori Haogak, who is my cousin from Inuvik living here in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors to the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

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Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know I'm supposed to stick to my constituency, but I need to recognize two people in the House, Kim McNearney, who worked with me professionally and is a personal friend, and also Leslie Goit, who was instrumental in my campaign team. So I apologize if I'm breaking the rules, but welcome to the Assembly.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors to the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery, thanks for being part of our proceedings. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I talked about all of the good things the government has done as it relates to legalization. Now, I'm afraid I have to ask questions around what we're still lacking in our framework.

Currently the prices that we've all seen today on the online stores, and the long line-ups at cannabis and liquor stores, the price is around two to four times what the estimated street market is. This does not appear to be making a dent in the black market. Other Members have raised these concerns, so I would like to ask the Minister of Finance how he is monitoring the sale of black market cannabis and how they are ensuring our legal system is actually making a difference to curb the illicit trade of cannabis in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 12 hours that cannabis has been legal, there was some concern about the price. The difficult question to answer is: how will it affect the illegal market? Maybe we'll send out a questionnaire and ask if it has affected the illegal market's bottom line, with the legalization of cannabis.

We will monitor it. We're 12 hours into the legalization. We will monitor it, and even the early indications with folks lining up at the stores and the online sales that we've had, that obviously has put a dent into the illegal market, but we will continue to monitor it. As I committed to committee, I will be giving them regular updates on the legalization and the effects it has. To answer the question as to how do we know we're making a dent, we don't. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I didn't ask have we made a dent in one hour. I asked how we are monitoring to ensure this process works. There was a commitment to bring forward a costed plan. There is still no costed plan. The Minister thinks this is a laughing matter; I think Northerners think this is a serious matter. So where is the plan, when is he going to bring it forward, and when is this side of the House going to be able to see it and evaluate it to make sure it protects our communities?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. There are three or four different questions, but I'll allow the Minister of Finance to answer.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister does not think it's a laughing matter, but having said that, it was said before that this was something that was sprung upon us by the federal government, and we worked hard to ensure that we were ready for it. The pricing market, we've given committee an update on the costing and how that was going to work, and we have the producer cost, we have the excise duty, we have the markup and the freight commissions administration costs. My understanding is the total retail price, and it depends on the strand, I believe, is around $10.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

The Minister is giving us elements of a plan, components of a plan, components of the regime, but not a fully costed, articulated plan that was voted on in this House as a recommendation of the committee's report and committed to in writing by the Minister. The Minister knew in 2015 this was coming. We didn't do any substantial work until 2017. There was plenty of time to get things together. When is that plan going to come forward? I don't want to hear elements of the plan; I want to see a costed plan.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

The Member is correct. I did make a commitment to provide an implementation plan. My understanding is that we should have that in committee's hands Monday at the latest.